Is it possible to have security without support? In Jhumpa Lahiri's final three stories, "Once in a Lifetime," "Year's End," and "Going Ashore" in Unaccustomed Earth, Hema and Kaushik go through tree different phases. Childhood, adolescence, and Adulthood and as they transition between these three stages, their support systems change with them. If one cannot find support from their own family, they can find support with someone else outside of family.
Hema and Kaushik can’t find support from their parents so they find support in each other. Hema cannot find support from her parents, so she looks to Kaushik for support. Hema’s parents seemed to have problems with Kaushik and his family staying at their house, but Hema doesn’t mind, so she says, …show more content…
As long as she was attracted to Navin, she was supposed to marry him. Hema also loved Kaushik, and Kaushik loved her. While she was walking through Rome she saw the Romans admiring her, but “it reminded her that her heart did not belong to Navin in the same way.” (301). The quote shows that, while the marriage is arranged, her heart is not with Navin. She compared Navin and herself to a couple sitting on caskets saying, “there was something dead about the marriage she was about to enter into." (301). This quote implies that there is a low chance that Hema will actually fall in love with Navin if they get married. Kaushik invites Hema to move with him to Hong Kong, and Hema denies him. When she realized her mistake, “She began to cry, unable to control herself, aware that he would never forgive her for refusing him, that even if she were to change her mind he had already retracted his invitation.” (323) This quote shows how she lost a potential support system. A person who she knew very well, and who knew her very well. However, chose someone she barely knew. Kaushik went to Hong Kong and died there. After Hema found Kaushik was dead, she wept, and eventually "I returned to my existence, the existence I had chosen instead of you." (333) This quote shows that she is thinking about how much better her life could have
Hema and Kaushik can’t find support from their parents so they find support in each other. Hema cannot find support from her parents, so she looks to Kaushik for support. Hema’s parents seemed to have problems with Kaushik and his family staying at their house, but Hema doesn’t mind, so she says, …show more content…
As long as she was attracted to Navin, she was supposed to marry him. Hema also loved Kaushik, and Kaushik loved her. While she was walking through Rome she saw the Romans admiring her, but “it reminded her that her heart did not belong to Navin in the same way.” (301). The quote shows that, while the marriage is arranged, her heart is not with Navin. She compared Navin and herself to a couple sitting on caskets saying, “there was something dead about the marriage she was about to enter into." (301). This quote implies that there is a low chance that Hema will actually fall in love with Navin if they get married. Kaushik invites Hema to move with him to Hong Kong, and Hema denies him. When she realized her mistake, “She began to cry, unable to control herself, aware that he would never forgive her for refusing him, that even if she were to change her mind he had already retracted his invitation.” (323) This quote shows how she lost a potential support system. A person who she knew very well, and who knew her very well. However, chose someone she barely knew. Kaushik went to Hong Kong and died there. After Hema found Kaushik was dead, she wept, and eventually "I returned to my existence, the existence I had chosen instead of you." (333) This quote shows that she is thinking about how much better her life could have